Courtney's Creation

Ok, I am calling this 'Courtney's Gingerbread House' because if it were not for Courtney it would not have been finished. I have never made a gingerbread house before. I knew it was going to be more difficult than it looked so I even bought a kit to get us started. Even still, we could not get the icing out of the tube, it was a big sticky mess. We could not get the walls to stay togther, the weight of the roof was crushing the walls. Cassidy and I were both ready to chunk it right into the trash can and call it quits! Courtney, however, was determined to finish it. She worked on it forever and very patiently, made it beautiful. She did a great job and I am so proud of her. Didn't it turn out fantastic?

What are you looking at?

Sweet and silly brothers, Jaspurr and Riley. Aren't they cute?

Shake It, Girls!

Courtney and two of her friends (Hailey and Meredith) performed in their school Christmas talent show. Hailey's aunt Kelly choreographed the routine and the girls did a GREAT job! I personalized thier matching outfits so they looked super cute, too!

Happy Halloween

We went 'back to the basics' this year. Let's see we have done, fairy, sheep, little bow peep, lion, gypsy, indian, miss america, cow girl, and so on and so on. I have made many many costumes. Courtney decided to keep it simple this year and she dressed up as a witch. Of course I had to embellish her hat and make her a custom t shirt.....she was a beautiful and glamouous little WITCH!

Birthday Lunch

We celebrated Courtney and Grant's birthday's with a family lunch at TGIFriday's. If you find yourself there, I highly recommend the Pink Punk! It is 'faaaaabulous'!

Archdale Bush Hill Festival

This weekend I took the girls to the annual Bush Hill Festival. We rode the ferris wheel. I am not a fan of carnival rides but I have always loved the ferris wheel. As you can tell from the pictures, Courtney was a little apprehensive, but once she opened her eyes, she really enjoyed it.

First Day of School 2009

Cassidy is a big eighth grader this year and Courtney is starting the fourth grade. I can not believe how big they are getting. We had a talk a long time ago about how I did not want them to get any bigger and they promised they would stay small. What is happening?????

Backyard Update

This summer we have completed a few improvement projects in the backyard. We have finally painted the awful red deck, replaced the tabletop and umbrella that the wind destroyed, added the privacy fence and replaced the faded and worn out pool liner. It is finally taking shape. Next spring we tackle the landscaping and move and paint the storage building. The work is never done.......

Butterfly Kisses

Last Thursday, I threw an end of the summer party for Courtney and a few of her friends. It was a woodland/butterfly theme and everything turned out great. I think the girls a good time, I can tell because none of them wanted to go home!

Forget Me Not...

Sunday we celebrated Grant's father's day with an elephant themed party. In part as tribute to his dad who passed away last year, I decorated the table with part of the elephant collection we inherited and created graphics to use as vase wraps, place mats and signs. We feasted on grilled chicken, fresh green beans and pasta salad. We topped it off with homemade milk and dark chocolate truffles and chocolate covered strawberries.....yummmmm!

I Just Want to Be Wonderful...

My dad has been a Marilyn Monroe fan for as long as I can remember. This year I decided to host a Marilyn dinner just for him. We celebrated on Saturday evening with a delicious Italian meal and his favorite Italian Cream cupcakes.

Courtney's Class Luau

Here is Courtney and her best buddies, Hailey and Delaney at their end of the year class luau. Are they a bunch of cuties or what?

End of the Year Teacher Gifts

This year the girls gave their teachers customized Hershey Kisses in cute little chinese takeout boxes. They turned out really cute. It was a small but nice way to show how much we appreciate what they do all year long.

PaPa's Birthday Mug